Squad 17
by Valzen
Summary: In which Sakura meets her ANBU team, a captain whom she can easily fall into routine with, a sexist pig and a reserved man that she gets along with quite nicely.
1. Meeting the team

Squad 17

Summary: In which Sakura meets her ANBU team, a captain whom she can easily fall into routine with, an asshole, and a reserved man that she gets along with quite nicely.

Part one: Meeting the Team

* * *

Sakura would attest to the fact that the entrance exams to join the ranks of ANBU black ops had been hell. She really didn't even believe that anyone would say otherwise. Her opinion didn't even have anything to do with taking the exams before she was ready. Because, as much as Sakura had her ego under control, she knew she was going in more than prepared to take her rightful place among the elite. In fact, the Haruno could have joined nearly two years ago, when she had just turned seventeen. However, she had taken a solo S-ranked mission to Suna instead. Said mission occupied her time with teaching their medical core how to actually do their jobs. A feat she was proud to say she had accomplished, at the price of many migraines.

"You must be our newbie." A tall man remarked as he entered one of the many standard issued rooms housed in the ANBU headquarters. Sakura would estimate, correctly so, that this man was just on the brink of twenty-three. His appearance included severely cut brown hair with what may be considered piercing grey eyes, which blended in nicely with his broad build. The kunoichi was unimpressed, especially as he sat down in a way that intentionally flexed the muscle which his ANBU tattoo rested on, "I'm Naosuke."

"Charmed, I'm sure." She replied dryly as she played with a Senbon needle. A needle which she had swiped off Genma earlier that day. At a time when they had both waited for Tsunade to pull herself into some sort of sober state. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura watched as another member of her new squad entered the bland room. This one was a few inches shorter than the first with vibrant red hair and deep charcoal eyes. Like the first he was in full uniform, his mask resting on his hip.

"Sakuzo," he offered, walking into the room and leaning against the furthest wall.

"Sakura," she replied eyeing the clock. Maybe she should be the slightest bit nicer to her teammates, but she was not in the mood. Sakura had returned from Sand without rest in order to get to this year's exams. A very unintelligent move, seeing as it was suggested that participants in the exams rest during the days prior. Obviously, she hadn't done that due to her two day run. Furthermore, she had only gotten three hours of sleep before being called into the hospital for an emergency case. Hence, she was not in a very happy mood. Then again, if you asked her, she would state that she thought she had gotten along quite nicely with Sakuzo.

"Nervous princess?" Naosuke asked, misinterpreting her glances at the clock. Idly, Sakura wondered how he made it in ANBU. Surely, someone like Anko would have 'accidentally' put him into his place by now. Maybe he was a very good ninja, she sure hoped so considering she was going to have to put up with him. Instead of answering his unappreciated comment, Sakura sent him a dark glare. A glare which had been picked up during the many hours spent with Gaara, over the course of her stay in Suna. Naosuke shrunk back in his seat a bit, only a bit.

When her glare might have saved her temporarily from one teammate it seemed to grab the attention of the other. Sakura ignored the discreet glances and watched ten seconds tick by on the clock.

"What's your specialty?" Sakuzo asked in his rough voice.

"Medical Ninjutsu and Genjutsu." Her response was bland. She didn't want to not get along with her teammates, however, any emotion in her voice would have been laced with irritation. Taking the emotion out of her voice simply felt like the more prudent option.

"Damn, means that we are going to have to protect her cute little ass," Naosuke commented. Thus adding yet another reason for Sakura to dislike the man. It really bugged her how the pompous bastards in her profession always seemed to think that medics couldn't fight. One would think that their particular Hokage would have changed that line of thinking by now.

"I'll be sure to remember that on the various occasions I will be saving your worthless ass." She snapped back, her resolve to get along with her teammates suddenly mattering little to her. "I offered up my specialty; now enter your part for this bonding ritual." Sakura continued dryly. Oh, what she wouldn't give to just kick Naosuke's ass and go home to sleep. Hell, she would sleep right here in this chair if it weren't for the fact that she lives for her job.

"Ninjutsu and swordsmanship," Sakuzo responded, walking towards the pair to sit on the window sill beside them. The interaction between the pair, when possibly problematic, was fascinating to observe.

"Taijutsu, I fight up close and personal. I'm very good with my hands." The idiot commented in a poorly suggestive manner. Even Sakuzo was getting a little fed up with his teammate and he was used to the frequency of such comments. Had she been in a better mood, Sakura might have toyed with the idea that the harassment she was suffering might have been a byproduct of the reason there had been an opening in the squad.

"That's nice, and if you touch me with those hands I will cut them off." Sakura remarked seriously as she looked at the clock again. The captain was already a half hour late. If her captain turned out to be Kakashi, she was going to seriously kick Genma's ass for not telling her. She could be sleeping right now. Actually, the lack of sleep wasn't even what bugged the female the most. She could go days without sleep during a mission and still kick ass when they got into a battle. What bugged her was that there was no valid reason for her to be up right now. If the captain wasn't here, there was no reason for her to be. Too bad she couldn't remember if Kakashi was an active ANBU at the moment because she really didn't want to ask her team. Correction, she really didn't want to say or do anything that would invite Naosuke to speak.

"Who is our captain?" She finally asked as she looked at the red head.

"Hatake Kakashi. He is the great Copy Ninja-" the woman stopped listening to the praises coming out of Naosuke's mouth. Yup, she was going to kill Genma.

Continuing to ignore his rambles, she got up and walked over to the standard looking table and laid down on the surface. Completely content to allow herself to enter a doze until the captain arrived. Even with both teammates staring at her in confusion, she counted the scarce raindrops that hit the window. Sakura also channeled out her chakra which gave the impression of 'watching' the people walk around the building. She didn't even bother to move when the captain teleported into the room.

"Yo." Her closed eyes knew that his book would be in sight.

"Hey captain, you never told us our new teammate was HOT!" The Sharingan User's eyebrow rose and her trained senses could feel his eyes on her form.

"Yeah, I'm surprised he is still conscious too. By the way, I might not be on this team for long." She considered sitting up. "I could easily get away with murder, but a double murder might get me demoted" she mused. Being tired really wasn't the best state for her to be in.

"Well then," Kakashi responded happily as his male subordinates watched the girl in confusion, "let's take the time to spar before we lose you."

Twenty seconds later the squad was standing in the center of training ground twenty eight. "This is the first time that we have introduced a new member into Squad 17. So, tell me boys, how should we go about this training session?"

"Straight Sparing, two on two," Sakuzo suggested, obviously thinking to gauge the compatibilities of fighting styles among the different combinations.

"I think we should put her through the bell test captain." Naosuke added with a broad gin.

Sakura wanted to laugh, was it possible that someone out there actually enjoyed the bell test? Had Kakashi seriously put an ANBU team through the test and had they managed to get the bells?

"Interesting suggestions." The squad leader remarked with an eye crease making Sakura feel like a genin again. "And as amusing as it would be to watch you try and get a bell Naosuke," Sakura had to fight back a grin. "Today Sakura will be watching a three way spar between us men." A few years ago Sakura might have taken offence to that, she would proudly protest and then go about showing anyone and everyone that women are just as capable as men. However, that was years ago during a time that Sakura was not comfortable with her own abilities. So now, Sakura calmly walked over to the tree, one which she was happy to find was very comfortable, and watched the men with her head tipped to the side.

Naosuke seemed to think that this was her natural place, watching at the sidelines. A fact which did not sit well with his newest teammate. However, Sakuzo seemed worried about this arrangement. "Ah, captain, I apologize if it is out of line for me to say, but are you sure Sakura shouldn't be participating in our match." It was clear that the man was questioning his captain of sexism. Furthermore, if that had been the case then it very well would have been out of line for him to imply such.

"Of course not, we have our first mission tomorrow and we can't have Sakura-chan here worn out. All she needs to do is watch our styles to blend in with the teamwork," the Captain offered cheerfully.

"You know Hatake, that both enforces and completely destroys the idea of your decision being sexist," she commented from her spot a few meters away.

"Well Haruno," he pronounced her surname slowly, "if you have no argument with the matter then I don't see why they should." Their routine and mannerisms were so easy to fall into that the transition was flawless. Although, to an outside observer their teasing was very borderline dislike. She had missed him.

"You are correct that it isn't any of their business. However, had Sakuzo not made it his business, you would be disappointed in him for failing to live up to the team bonds that you are known for harping about." Sakura probably should have felt bad for her teammates. The poor boys were eyeing their captain like he might just pounce and slit her throat any minute.

"Fine then, let's make this a guessing game. First person to tell me why Sakura will sit there and look pretty when we spare, doesn't have to run one hundred laps around Konoha. No penalties for wrong answers, now go." Kakashi was enjoying himself. Causing discomfort and confusion among his subordinates was always amusing. More importantly, it always seemed to bring the subordinates together, banding together against the big bad captain.

Sakura took pity on her teammates and knowing that Kakashi wouldn't make them run any laps that he hadn't planned on giving them before-hand, answered for them, "I'm currently functioning on about two percent of my chakra. If I reach absolute zero then it will take more than a night's sleep for me to be able to function enough for a mission."

"Did the exams take that much out of you that you still aren't replenished?" The sexist one commented.

"Well, at least I know which one of my victims will be my free shot." Sakura mused as she realized Naosuke became target number one. Genma would therefore be her victim that would result in her demotion.

"Be nice Sakura-chan, and we need to be open with our teammates. Our girl here had a nice two day run before her exams and then did a high ranking operation at the hospital to save some of our own before meeting up with us. Isn't that right Sakura-chan."

"Get on with your sparring." She countered thinking about how Kakashi was going to let the bastard shoot out as many sexist comments as he liked, waiting to see which one finally landed him in the hospital.

Because Kakashi had finally learned that Sakura could fight her own battles.


	2. In which there is gossip

Squad 17

Summary: In which Sakura meets her ANBU team, a captain whom she can easily fall into routine with, an asshole and a reserved man that she gets along with quite nicely.

Chapter Two: In which there is gossip

* * *

Squad 17 wasn't scheduled to be in the Hokage's office for debriefing until two in the afternoon. However, the early morning sun brought one of their own into the building. A building which stood as the constructed heart of the village. Two years had been a long time for the surrogate mother-daughter pair to be apart. Furthermore, with the newly appointed ANBU team leaving again so soon, Sakura meant to relish the few hours she had with her mentor.

"Raise and shine, Hokage of mine." She chirped opening the door with her hip as she let herself into the private office. In one hand, the girl gripped her favorite type of coffee which could only be found in one of the smallest coffee shops in the village. In the other, Sakura balanced the mini tower of scrolls that Shizune had passed off to her.

"If I hadn't missed you so damn much I would call security." The elder of the two females bemoaned as she held her head, no doubt suffering from another hang over. The sunny skies of Konoha were not doing her any favors either.

"Well, absence does make the heart grow fonder. Speaking of absence, where are you sending me off to this time?" She questioned as she dumped the scrolls on one chair and fell into the embrace of the other. Another blissful sip of her cherished coffee allowed her to view Tsunade over the brim the cup.

"No mission talk until that team of your gets here. I am not wasting my time talking about what I will tell you later. Now, tell me, how do you like that team of yours?" Tsunade questioned evasively as she held a faintly glowing hand to her temple. She would praise her apprentice until the end of time for developing this particular jutsu. Now she could drink all she wanted without the nasty hangovers. Not that hangovers had ever stopped her before.

"Genma is currently in the hospital. Although, I think I did him more of a favor then a punishment." Sakura mused as she thought about how Shizune had quickly snatched up his case.

"One day, those two will finally admit that there is something between them, and more than just Genma's endless flirting."

"Agreed, but don't you dare bet on it," Sakura replied, growing sad as she looked into her almost empty cup.

"Careful, you might break an old woman's heart."

Sakura easily waved away the Hokage's comment. "It's impossible to break an old lady's heart when she has the spirit of a youth." A glassy smile echoed in her words.

"Flattery Sakura will get you everywhere." Tsunade barked in her husky tone.

"Don't get to used to it, I'm just buttering you up so you will send some hopeless soul out to get me more coffee." Tsunade laughed louder, but sent out a note anyway via bird to whoever was filling in for Genma today.

"You've always been bold girl, but I think that time with that stick-up-his-ass Kazekage did you wonders."

"I would say that is a fair bet. Too bad no one would take you up on it, hm?"

"I missed you." Tsunade blurted out suddenly. The confession was a bit too

emotional for either of the women's taste.

"I missed you too," Sakura admitted.

And with that touching moment, both females were more than happy to move on.

"So," Tsunade began again, "Will Hatake have his hands full with you on his team?"

"Kakashi will be fine," Sakura said grimly. "It's that ass Naosuke that you might have to replace soon." Tsunade started laughing again.

"Yeah, Anko shares the same views. Feel free to knock that out of him."

"How is Anko? I was speaking to Ibiki after my exams, he was hinting that she was on a mission that went bad. I figured it was classified and didn't pry."

"Oh, that man is so happy to finally get you into his ranks. Morino was pissed when he found out that you were sent off to Suna for so long."

"So bad that you are avoiding the topic, that's not good. Come on Tsunade, I've gotten close to Anko during that spree of missions a few years ago. You need to tell me if she is or isn't okay." Sakura was starting to feel that slight twist of nerves in her stomach. The feeling that came on whenever she watched a comrade go down. It was the fear of the unknown, in those seconds that she didn't know if she would be able to save them, or even if there was a breath left in the Shinobi to save.

"She's still hospitalized. False information from Rock sent her squad out towards Rain. They were ambushed and Anko was the only one to come out alive. Her mental state is fine because, well, that chick was a bit crazy to began with, but the physical damage was immense. She is still in therapy, and to be honest, we think that her career might be over."

A solemn mood feel over the pair in the wake of the shared news. Even the appearance of a nameless chunin entering with another perfect cup of coffee failed to break the mood. With a deep sigh, the coffee was pushed towards her mentor where a splash of something extra entered the brew.

"Well enough of this; Anko would send snakes after us if she saw us now. So, between us girls, did you take up with any of those young handsome medics to be?"

Sakura laughed. "No, my love life is severely lacking. Besides, it took all of two hours for the entire Sand village to learn that the Kazekage was quite protective off me. Scared the boys off more than any Akatsuki member ever could. And don't you dare bet on me and Gaara getting together, it is not going to happen."

"Shame, it would be quite a nice political tie."

"Which would not be why you are trying to pair me off. I know you want grandchildren, but with everything that is no doubt heating up at the western boarders you are going to need me on active duty." Sakura did not want children, but she did want information about the borders. A location where many of her friends were stationed.

"Yes fine, Shikamaru, Neji and Naruto are all running the Konoha encampments out there. I got a report in yesterday, Nara seems to think that things will only get worse before they get better."

The pinked hair ANBU didn't make any indications of responding because she could feel the approach of her two new squad members. Their informal time together had come to an end. A shame, since the day before had given them even less time together then just now.

"Hokage-sama." The men greeted as one, neither sat down because of the unfamiliar scrolls which were occupying the chair. The females decided to see how long it would take for one of them to question the scrolls placement. After all, they needed some way to keep themselves amused until Kakashi showed up. Luckily, Kakashi is never more than a half hour late for anything that involved the Hokage. After all, someone can only be sent through so many walls before they get the message. Unless that someone was Naruto.

"Naosuke, Sakuzo." The blonde nodded formally before the raining silence. Sakura fought off a grin at the Hokage's chilly reception. Honestly, the two women had an interesting view on entertainment.

Sakura took a deep drink from her coffee mix. "What's the betting pool on the next book release?" She asked after getting bored with the silence. There was always a betting pool going for the release of Jiraiya's next book. Sakura had asked her question with a light smirk on her face, remembering the run in she had with the traveling hermit on her way to Konoha. Naosuke and Sakuzo glared at her, form where they stood stiffly, for her lack of professionalism.

"We know it will be sometime in November so you can bet on any day with there being one to thirty odds." The Hokage answered seriously as she pulled out a red notebook to record her student's bet.

"This whole mission's pay on the seventh," Sakura said boldly. Tsunade grinned as she wrote it down. Her girl was gutsy, just like her, only hopefully with more luck. Naosuke and Sakuzo stared at their new teammate like she was clinically insane.

"Was Sakura-chan placing her bet, then?" Kakashi asked from his position at the window sill. The Copy Ninja had let himself in, glancing for only a moment over the Hokage's shoulder at the notebook, before moving the scrolls onto the floor and seating himself.

"Your late Hatake, again." The blonde growled at the ANBU captain. "Now listen up, Squad 17, you will be heading out to Suna-" The debriefing was cut off by Sakura's angry growl. A sound which proved that the girl spent too much time with certain demon containers.

"No way," She added in a disbelieving tone. "Come on, that's just cruel."

"Sakura," Sakuzo said, speaking in a tone that reminded Sakura of her father. "You are failing to show respect for the Hokage and that reflects poorly on our whole team."

"Oh, shut it," Sakura snapped. She was too annoyed to care about anyone's opinion.

"This is just plain cruel."

"Sakura," Tsunade started, "I know that you just got back from Suna. I also know it was a pain in the ass to get back here just for a test everyone knew you were going to pass. However, we need a good team out there." Tsunade's patience was surprising seeing as she wasn't happy to send Sakura away, again, either.

Sakura was still glaring, but did not make to interrupt the Hokage again.

"Now, the Kazekage has asked for a squad to be sent out to protect their medic teams." Sakura growled louder. The sound was almost feral. Not only would she have to go back to protect the people that she had already been informally protecting, but it would seem that someone was threatening HER medics. Her anger flared at the thought of someone attacking her duckies.

"Stop that growling!" Tsunade ordered. "Your mission from here on out is to protect the medics and to find and eliminate the threat. The Kazekage seems to think that the culprits might be hanging out in some of the caves east of Sand. However, with his teams out at the borders, he doesn't have the men to spare for a proper search. He will tell you anything else you might need to know upon your arrival. I want you all to leave within the next three hours."

Sakura was still smoldering, but didn't dare mouth back to the older woman. Instead, she turned her attention to the team. The three men were staring back blankly.

"We will meet at the gate in an hour," she snapped, "and Kakashi, if you are late, so help me, I will leave without you and you will _not_ like the consequences when I get back." Sakura left in a swirl of leaves, taking the scrolls with her.


	3. Where there is a delay

Squad 17

Summary: In which Sakura meets her ANBU team, a captain whom she can easily fall into routine with, an asshole and a reserved man that she gets along with quite nicely.

Chapter Three: Where there is a delay

* * *

Sakura was the first to arrive at the gates. With her medic gear and weapons always packed, preparing for the mission was only a matter of throwing an extra ANBU uniform into her pack and changing. Besides, with the vast difference in climate, all of her clothing suitable for the Sand village was still in her residence there. This, made Sakura arrive at the gates only seven minutes after she had left the Hokage's office.

The ANBU sat on the rim of the high gates as she waited for her team. The standard issued uniform that should have hid her identity, did not meet its goal due to the long pink locks which were pulled up into a sleek ponytail. At some point she would get around to cutting it all off again. However, with her in village work for the past two years, the length had not been an issue. Her identity was not something she really thrived to protect because the only people close enough for enemies to use against her were formidable ninja themselves. The only exception were her little duckies, who should have had protection to began with.

The lack of an efficient medic team had always been the one weak spot in the now thriving Sand Village. With the alliance to Konoha still strongly in place most enemies feared that the two village's power would only grow if this one weak point was dealt with. To an outsider's eyes, this would be a deciding factor in the upcoming war. Leading to their opponents belief that they could not allow Suna to build up a formidable medic core. Sakura's work over there had done wonders, but if the medics were dead, then all her work would have been in vain. This mission was not one that she was willing to fail, it was personal.

Kotetsu and Izumo were stationed at the gate. At one point in time, when she had been training directly under Tsunade, Sakura had been fairly familiar with the pair that was rarely seen apart. It was how she knew that no matter what the rumors stated about any romantic ties between the two men, that Kotetsu was madly in love with the cute blacksmith's daughter. Or at least he had been two years ago. That depressing thought only proved that the familiarity she had shared with the boys had waned like so many of her other relationships.

They were talking in what they assumed to be hushed tones, but Sakura heard it all clearly. An extra bit of chakra running up to her ears assured that. They were talking about all of the scrimmages that were breaking out by the borders. Izumo shared what he had heard from Ino when she had gotten drunk and started reciting things that Shikamaru should have known better then to tell her. Kotetsu added what he had heard from Tenten, a woman that she hadn't known he talked to. Apparently, she was working under Naruto's command and was trying to get a transfer to Neji's camp.

They stopped talking when Kakashi appeared a full twenty minutes early. He too, was decked out in the formal ANBU uniform and had his worn pack slung over his shoulder. It was that single object that made Sakura realize that she had no idea how long they would be away from home this time. Maybe she should just start calling Suna home now, it did seem that way sometimes, and no one over there would blink an eye at her believing so.

"I'm here." Kakashi announced with an eye crinkle. "I was going to head over to the ramen stand and grab something to eat but then this black cat charged-" Sakura zoned out his excuses for being early and looked to her left as the landscape away from the village. Two day's time would bring them to another set of gates.

"When will the others show?" She asked the squad captain, unaware of the habits of her new teammates.

"I don't know. I've never been here before them before." Kakashi's statement was a bold faced lie and they both knew it. When the team first started up there was he no doubt that he sat in the trees, as he made them wait, to see how they reacted. Kakashi had done so to team seven too, complete with inconsistent check ins over the time he was their sensei, to see who would show up when. An odd habit for the man who was friends with stone, but really what ninja didn't have weird hobbies now a days?

Kakashi pulled out his book and leaned against the wall to grab the best lighting. Sakura went back to watching the path they would travel. "This one is personal Kakashi." She admitted without looking towards her Captain.

He had known so already, but he let out a sound of acknowledgement anyway.

Sakuzo was the next to arrive right at the designed meeting time. "Captain." He spoke in greeting, but his voice betrayed his confusion; a shameful moment for the ninja.

"Yo."

"Naosuke is late. I'm leaving." Sakura stood and made every indication of leaving before she caught something at the very edge of her radar. Without a word she took off in the direction she had not been watching. Her teammates followed.

The miles passed quickly for the trio and in no time they were dropping into a clearing where three of their own laid bloody and broken. Instantly in medic mode, the female dropped down to the fallen as the others went out to secure the area and to find any clues to what had happened.

The team was a chunin team with their jonin leader, and the jonin was the only one she recognized. Furthermore, that had more to do with the large white dog that supported his weight. The man was the only one conscious. "Kiba I need you to tell me what happened." Sakura urged as she checked the vitals of the chunin that was closest to her. He was gone. The medic moved to heal Kiba, but he protested telling her to take care of the other fallen member first.

"We were to swap out with another team, the border rotates." He added through a blood soaked cough. He was not aware if she knew of the rotating rosters for the borders. "We were ambushed and took down most of the enemy, but my team was pretty burnt out. I ordered a retreat. They followed us for longer than they should have. I thought that if we got close enough to the village they would stop the pursuit, but they didn't let up until they felt you guys coming." Kiba started to cough again and with his teammate now stable Sakura moved to his side, taking his weight off of the passed out Akamaru. Sakura rubbed her green glowing hand through the blood stained fur to make sure that the dog wouldn't need immediate attention before working on Kiba.

Like she had thought he would be, the Inuzuka was worse off than the chunin that had made it. He had severe internal bleeding, a completely collapsed lung, nearly all his ribs were broken and so was his left wrist.

"Trying to prove how much of a man you are?" Sakura joked remembering a particularly vicious mission she had shared with the man. He barked out a laugh with some pain. Her soothing chakra cradled the deflated lung with care and coaxed it into healing and working properly quicker than any other medic could do in a hospital. Ribs were nothing to mend, no bone was hard to fix, it was the precision and delicacy needed that made any sort of tissue, muscles and organs harder to heal. Bones were just a matter of knowing what you are doing and having the proper chakra output. Unlike internal injuries, there was no fluctuation of chakra needed.

Kakashi dropped back into the clearing with Sakuzo closely behind. From the looks of them they had gotten into a small scuffle themselves, but Sakura would bet all her money that the already worn-out ninja had retreated before her teammates could do much damage.

"Sakuzo, take that chunin back to the hospital," Sakura said. "He is in stable condition, and there is nothing more than superficial injuries. Don't jar him too much. He is completely drained of chakra, and will be very sore. Also, send one of the guards out to collect the other body." Sakuzo looked to his captain for conformation before carrying out the orders. Seeing the exchange Sakura almost felt bad for claiming command, but she knew that she always would when it came to medical matters. She also knew that Kakashi would not have it any other way. Besides, both Kakashi and Sakura knew that if the captain ever disagreed with an order she shot out he would plainly say so.

"Kiba, I've healed all of your ribs that were a danger of further injuring you. I need you to stay as still as possible and relax because I want to heal up Akamaru before I fix you up more." The dog ninja nodded eagerly as he watched his canine companion.

Sakura never got back to healing Kiba, and she never got the chance to do more than assess the damage on Akamaru before Kiba's sister broke into the clearing and took over with a short debriefing from Sakura. After another moment, Shizune appeared and insisted on taking over Kiba's healing so that Sakura would have as much chakra as possible for her mission.

Sakura sighed. So much for leaving Konoha early.


	4. When they leave

Squad 17

Summary: In which Sakura meets her ANBU team, a captain whom she can easily fall into routine with, an asshole and a reserved man that she gets along with quite nicely.

Chapter Four: When they leave

Edited November 5th my author: only mild changes.

The delay did nothing to help Sakura's poor mood. Not only were they now behind schedule, her duckies were going to be more vulnerable for even longer. Furthermore, her friend was in the hospital and she hadn't been able to save that other chunin.

All in all: not a good day.

Naosuke had been at the gates when Sakura and Kakashi arrived back and his confusion just aggravated her more. Maybe it would have been better if she had left without him. Screw her way of the ninja and 'value of teamwork' crap she believes in. Kakashi answered Naosuke's seemingly endless questions in a board tone as they waited for Sakuzo to come back from reporting to the Hokage. Apparently, the blonde shared Sakura's mood and had not wanted to talk to their captain. After all, who would want to talk with Kakashi when all you wanted to do was throw a chair out the window? Or maybe smash a desk through the floor; that would be a good stress reliever.

With an annoyed huff, Sakura set off to get herself a cup of coffee, convinced that she would be back before Sakuzo. Besides, Naosuke was still questioning Kakashi and that was a conversation she could do without hearing.

She spent a few minutes wondering what she thought of Naosuke. She had seen him fight and she knew that he deserves his rank among the elite. Sure, she still questioned how the women amongst the ANBU hadn't beaten the shit out of him yet, but in battle she knew he would be able to hold his own. Naosuke was also under the command of her copy ninja. Yes, Kakashi had long been claimed as her own, just like how Naruto and Gaara are her boys. The fact remained that everyone under the copy ninja learned the importance of team work. One wasn't even permitted on his team unless he or she held such ideals. Therefore, for the life of her she could not understand how he had managed to stay a sexist ass.

Sakura's anger at him being late was unfounded, she knew. Basic logic stated that they would not leave until Kakashi arrived and most would properly assume that he would be late. For all she knew, Naosuke showed up only minutes after they left.

The flirtations and comments weren't even a big deal. When you hang out with mostly men, a girl develops a tough skin and quickly learns that words are just words. However, the fact that he seemed to honestly think that she was worse a ninja then he was just because of her sex was inexcusable. If he acted on those beliefs, then Squad 17 might be more cursed to fail then team seven had been.

She broke away from her thoughts when she entered the shop. The owner was the one that greeted her when she entered, because the young genin that normally worked on Wednesday had ended up getting her first mission out of the village. Even though Sakura hadn't come for a long time, the elderly man still fondly remembered her. With her medic career and long hours, Naruto would always tease her about how the shop became her personal Ichiraku.

Sakura was back before her teammate, and with her prized coffee in hand she was able to wait patiently for Sakuzo to arrive. Brilliant timing brought Sakuzo to them just as she finished her third coffee of the day and they were finally able to leave.

Traveling through the foliage of Konoha's forests was one of the most basic skills for a leaf Shinobi. However, it was something that Sakura never failed to appreciate. Everything about that action appealed to her: the earthy smell enhanced by the high speed of travel and the variation of color that blurred past her vision. Most of all, it was the only place she had ever felt free. Even on serious missions that occupied her every thought, she never failed to take deep breaths during her traveling.

The formation they had broken into was one of the most basic and well known to shinobi. The shape created a diamond and Naosuke had not been pleased with the positions of the team members. Sakura and Kakashi had maneuvered the team into the grid without saying a word. Kakashi had taken the tail position and Sakura the lead, putting Naosuke and Sakuzo on the right and left. Thrice, Naosuke tried to maneuver to the lead position, and did not stop his attempts until Kakashi viciously ordered him not to break formation.

Every attempt of Naosuke's was an insult to not only Sakura but, Kakashi as well. The front runner was responsible for detecting any incoming chakra sources and charged with the responsibility to keep the team alive from a frontal assault until they could find their bearings. Kakashi had no illusions that this was her rightful place, even if medics were typically kept at the side. Her placement in the front would allow her to hit an ambush team with the equivalent of an earthquake without disrupting her own teammate's footing. This action would instantly gain them the advantage in the battle.

They reached the outer edges of the forest by nightfall, where Kakashi ordered to set up camp. As horrid as it was to travel through the desert during the day, it would be necessary - especially for this particular mission. Their targets would more likely to be away from their base during the nighttime hours. Therefore, if they hoped to get a lock on any large collection of chakras, they would need to pass through the desert at noon, when there would be more men resting in a single area. Luckily, they were all highly trained ninja, because anyone of lesser ranking would not be able to make the trip under the extreme conditions they would face.

The three male members of Squad 17 had been working together for much longer then Sakura, so it was not surprising when they all fell into a routine with their chores. Naosuke went about collecting firewood and assembling the area that would be used for cooking anything Sakuzo managed to catch. Way back when, during a time when she was a genin under Kakashi's tutelage, that domestic task had been hers. She was ecstatic that it now belonged to the sexist male. Sakuzo set out silently as he backtracked in the direction they had just come from and Kakashi went about securing the perimeter for their encampment.

With the freedom to choose what she would contribute to the dynamics, she went about collecting herbs from her pack. Sakuzo would return with water along with the fish or game, and by that time, she would have a carefully assembled mixture to brew as tea. Not only would it help to speed up the recovery of their chakra in a less destructive way then a soldier pill, but it would also boost their immune systems. During missions it was imperative to always have as much chakra as possible, even if it did not seem vital at the time.

"Are we going to be your new test subjects?" Kakashi cheerfully asked as he sat down besides her. Sakura could feel Naosuke's eyes on them but she ignored it.

"Of course not. I had plenty of test subjects provided on my last mission." She answered seriously as Sakuzo entered the clearing with four fish and a large canteen of water. Sakura went about making her tea for the group as Kakashi prepared and cooked the fish. Neither of the two men she had recently met drank her concoction until they saw their captain's empty cup sitting by the fire.

Kakashi and Sakuzo spoke quietly together on the opposite side of the fire than Sakura. She didn't care to listen in like she had done back at the gates; instead she went about watching the stars. She disagreed with Shikamaru's opinion that the clouds were better to watch then stars. Mainly because when stars change their position in the sky they will someday return back to normal.

"So how long before you think you'll drop out of ANBU?" Naosuke mocked, grabbing the attention of the two other men who went about pretending that they weren't listening. For the most part, Naosuke's tone could have been considered as nothing, almost like an older member giving the newbie a friendly hard time. However, Sakura had to wonder if Naosuke had taken the formation with more distaste then Sakura and Kakashi had assumed. Mildly, she wondered it Sakuzo had seen the situation any differently.

"I wonder what gave you the impression that I would be dropping out." She commented dryly as she traced the symbol on the mask in her hand. On the forehead she had pained the symbol for medic, wrapping it around a small diamond.

Angling himself so that Kakashi wouldn't see his face, Naosuke shot her a look which might have implied that he believed she was only around so that Kakashi could get into her pants. Sakura merely cocked her head to the side in confusion. It was quite possible that she had read the expression wrong because the Naosuke that had sang Kakashi's praises the day before would never insult him like this.

"Wouldn't a girl like you work better back home or at the hospital?" Naosuke continued on as if there had never been a shift in his facial features.

'A girl like her' referred to her entire gender and Sakura was not pleased. Why was it that no matter how many times a female proved how strong a women could be, there was always someone who still looked down on them? Why the hell do people make up their minds about others before they see what they are capable of?

"Why? Well, 'a girl like me' likes a challenge and there is no challenge left in the hospital." He didn't need to know that she ran the place when she was in the village so Shizune could have a day off. He didn't need to know that almost everything she could do in the hospital now seemed routine and he didn't need to know that she had been recently questioning the label of home.

A/N: You may all thank the brilliant Broken Handed for not only editing this chapter but convincing me that it was a good idea to rewrite this chapter to an extent. I really was not happy with the first copy of this but sent it out because I wanted to get the next chapter done. With the next chapter completed I was encouraged to go back and change up this chapter. When the actual events do not differ the tone changed and I am very pleased with that fact. So I ask you all to not only review but to thank Broken Handed!

Thanks for reading,


	5. Sand Man

Squad 17

Summary: In which Sakura meets her ANBU team, a captain whom she can easily fall into routine with, an asshole and a reserved man that she gets along with quite nicely.

Chapter Five: Sand man

Edited: November 5th (When in the process of reading through this chapter before writing the next I decided certain parts needed more clarifying.)

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Against her better judgment, Sakura had taken not only her watch, but Sakuzo's as well. She knew it was foolish to strain herself, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. Sakura sat in the branches of a steady tree, facing away from the camp, and continued to do so for two shifts. As much as she would like to blame her recent insomnia on the confrontation between Naosuke and herself, she knew better. What kept her up were rampant thoughts of what was going on at the boarders and the thoughts of her loved ones stationed there.

One grows accustomed to worrying when in a profession that takes you and your loved ones away from each other for long periods of time. However, Sakura had been living in a sheltered world for a while, and the worrying agitated her previously at ease mind. Because when she was stationed in Suna, the people she cared about were either medics in training that were to remain inside the village or the Sand siblings. Occasionally, she would have to worry about Temari and Kankuro if they left for missions but they tended to be in Suna more often then not. Therefore, she had a brief two years of not worrying about anyone from Konoha, for the simple fact that she hadn't known when to worry.

Of course she had been aware of the growing problems faced in the encampments. Suna has sent nearly the same amount of manpower to the camps as Konoha had stationed there. However, those sent, talked about by the people she would pass in the street and by students in hushed whispers were just faceless ninja to her. Now, after only days in Konoha, the familiar concern was back. The whispers in the marketplace were laced with names she knew, her friend were sending reports from where they were in command, and she could now feel the reality of it all as the people she cared about were in the thick of things.

Her other worries had to do with the mission itself. Though she was fond of all of her trainees, a few of them stood out and became as important to her as those on the Konoha twelve. However, the noticeable difference between the two groupings was that her medics were not as able to protect themselves. As much as she would have loved to get her hands on Suna's medic ninjas, it was more important for her to build a foundation and to improve their hospital staff. She had been charged with training those just entering the medic nin profession and those who would never go further than working in the hospital. She taught how to heal, not how to fight.

It was still dark when she woke up the rest of her team to leave; the desert was a longer travel then the forest distance between the villages. Naosuke didn't say a word to her as he packed up his equipment. Sakuzo gave her a confused smile as he located energy bars for the group from the depth of his bag. Kakashi ruffled her hair like she was twelve before going about clearing the area of all signs of their presence. Less then ten minutes time had them crossing into the desert.

Sakura would continue to praise her chakra control until her mind went numb. As much as she loved summers in Konoha and as much as she loved Suna, the girl hated heat. As is, she would forever love her chakra control and love Shizune for teaching her how to regulate her body temperature expending next to no chakra.

The small mountain range which housed the caves Gaara assumed their targets hid out in were to the east. They were far off and only appeared on the horizon, making their plans to detect a chakra source a long shot. To avoid suspicion, they would have to be careful to not draw attention to why they were there, meaning that they couldn't get as close to the mountains as they would have liked. The best they could do was travel diagonally to the village and hope that they got a on something.

The group of identically dressed Shinobi continued non-stop through the village's barren defense. With Kakashi's uncharacteristic venom from the day before, none of the squad dared to break rank as they moved. Through the masks they each wore, she was unable to tell which of her teammates kept looking at her. Furthermore, with her in the front and nothing but sand to look at she didn't blame any of them for making her an object of interest. Her only entertainment was the constant scoping for distant chakra discharge. She could feel the boys behind her doing the same.

By the time she could see the gates approaching, she felt like a failure. Sakura hadn't picked up on anything more then another Sand team when they had passed through the desert. The fact that her teammates were still emitting their chakra led her to believe that they hadn't had much luck either.

Susami, the chunin sister of one of her students, was currently stationed at the entrance. Besides her was a male jonin that Sakura had repeatedly seen but had never learned the name of. To them she was just another ANBU; even the pink hair wouldn't give her away because only Gaara had known that she was going to enter the ANBU ranks.

"Papers please," Susami voiced in the typical secretary manner. Sakura really wished she could say that Susami was destined for great things like her brother Bezuta, but that just wasn't the case. Susami would forever hold her post at the gates or would end up being a runner who only saw action if the village was attacked directly.

Kakashi handed over the two scrolls that they would need to enter the foreign nation. The first scroll the Sand chunin opened had been sent by Gaara with his initial request; this would allow a Konoha ANBU team passage. The second scroll was from Tsunade, approving the request and confirming the team. "Everything seems to be in order." Susami smiled and wrote a note for a bird to bring to her Kage. "If you will wait just a few minutes, I will have a runner come to show you the way to the Kazekage's office."

Before she could stand to give her message, Kakashi interjected, "we know the way." The squad leaving without a proper escort made both of the Sand ninja nervous, but Sakura was already walking away. Her team followed.

Similar to Konoha, the entire village was built around the Kazekage building. Their hospital, ANBU headquarters, academy, and training grounds were all equal distance away from the village's tallest building.

The receptionist was new; she only started working in the building three days before Sakura left. The old receptionist Aoi, a retired jonin that Sakura had befriended, moved to Wave because her husband wanted to be closer to his family. Kankuro was leaning against the blonde's desk and Sakura would bet that he didn't know her name either. When they entered he took one look at her hair and grinned.

"May I help you?" The women asked, sitting up straighter.

"That's alright, you four can go right ahead. The Kazekage is free." Kankuro interjected with a smirk. Kakashi nodded and lead his team up to the Kazekage's office.

Behind them they could hear a flittering voice mutter, "That is a breach of protocol Kankuro-san."

The doors blocking access to the most important room in the building always unsettled Sakura. The carving on the dark wood was a depiction of old legends; ironically, it was about a battle between the gods and the demons, teaching children what good and evil were. Following her captain, Sakura entered the room after Gaara's call of, "Enter".

Gaara looked up from his paperwork as their team entered, and like his brother locked in on the fact that one of their numbers had pink haired. He grinned in a way that would frighten more then just little children. "Take off your masks ANBU; you will be doubling as Jounin protecting the medics when you are within our walls." The four did as they were told without hesitation. "You might as well sit."

There were only three chairs before his desk and when Kakashi and Naosuke sat down immediately, Sakuzo made to stand but Sakura gestured for him to sit and made her way past the Kazekage's desk to the back corner of the room where a small coffee station was set up. The station hadn't always been there, but Gaara had put it in as a birthday present to her after one of his runners complained about the amount of coffee runs he was sent on. After that, it was only a matter of months before Gaara was hooked on the caffeinated beverage as well. "Two days without coffee, I'm surprised that you're not going into withdrawal." He commented as he leaned back in his chair to observe her teammates, he did not look back to her where she stood against the counter. She drank the slightly aged coffee with glee, not caring to make a fresh pot.

"Me too; it was a horrid trip here with the lack of coffee. Especially when I had to return to Konoha like this within the _same_ week," she shot back unhappily. "I already gave Tsunade crap, so let's talk about whatever group is targeting the duckies." The first time that she had ever called her students that, Gaara had glared angrily and told her that no citizen of his was to be compared to a newly born duck. Sakura had laughed and told him that when he had handed them over to her for training, they stopped being his citizens and became her duckies.

"As of now, four of our medics have been attacked. The first was when he was part of a team heading out to Nara's camp. The second was a victim of poison, which she detected before she had ingested too much of the substance. The third, Aro, was killed in his sleep by Senbon needles. The last was ambushed leaving the hospital last night. We had apprehended the man responsible but he killed himself in our custody." Gaara's introduction led way to a long discussion involving every detail of their mission. By the end of it, Sakura glanced out the window into a starry night and vowed too protect her duckies with her last breath.

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A/N: A big thanks to both the readers and to Broken Handed! Broken Handed is a wonderful beta and had been a great help.


	6. Living Spaces

Squad 17

Summary: In which Sakura meets her ANBU team, a captain whom she can easily fall into routine with, an asshole and a reserved man that she gets along with quite nicely.

Chapter Six: Living Spaces

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Kakashi was a firm believer that teams should not split up during the night. Sakura was well aware of this, and knew that squad 17 would end up sharing living quarters for the duration of the mission. Even before the topic came up, Sakura had already come to terms with the fact that she would be sharing her apartment with three men.

When Sakura had first arrived and was in the process of locating an apartment, she had stayed with Temari. Most would assume there would be a surplus of vacant apartments with so many villagers leaving for long periods of time. However, the places she had looked at were not places any of the Sand Siblings would allow her rent. The first place Sakura looked at was decent, but too far away from the hospital. Another place she checked out had appeared as if it would collapse in on itself at any moment. In fact, while Sakura was there a huge chunk of plaster had fallen, which left her coughing in a cloud of dust. Sakura stormed into Gaara's office after that incident, and the Sand Village found itself having a lot more housing inspections after that time. One of the places she had visited with Kankuro she hadn't seen – her escort had looked inside, closed the door and steered her away from the landlord of the place closest to the hospital, had hit on both her and Temari, making that option a no go. Temari happily allowed her to stay at her place instead of continuing the unpleasant act of looking for an apartment.

The arrangement worked flawlessly for nearly five months before an alternative became necessary. The blonde's long term boyfriend had finally proposed during that time, and decided to move in with Temari as a trial-run to marriage.

Gaara, who had become one of her best friends during the months she had stayed with his sister, came up with a brilliant solution. The Kazekage hired a construction crew to turn a fourth of his living quarters into another apartment. All three of the siblings liked this arrangement because it meant that Sakura would be staying close to them. Also, their overprotective sides knew that nothing could go wrong with her living next to Gaara.

The top floor of the Kazekage building was the living quarters for the Kage and his family. However, the Second Kage, who had added on the floor as a living space, had several illegitimate children and two wives – making the place obnoxiously large. An opinion Gaara agreed with even more so now that both Temari and Kankuro had moved out.

As a result, Sakura became the rent-free tenant of two bedrooms, an office, two baths, a kitchen and living room. When she had tried to move out all of the stuff that had accumulated during her stay, she was reprimanded by both the Sand Siblings and the Suna council. Gaara and his siblings had wanted to ensure she always had a place to stay when she was in the village. And the elders had insisted she kept the apartment for both political and security reasons – with Sakura 'owning' the new complex, the place would not be available for diplomats. The location was a major security risk, and would make it far too easy for others to make an attempt on the Kazekage's life. This was the major reason the living area had not been split before. Sakura did not argue back since she was very fond of the place.

This time around, Sakura knew that things would not be so easy. The Elders would protest allowing Squad 17 to stay with her, and insist that the boys on the team stay at a hotel instead. However, the Kazekage's decision overruled that of the Elder's. Kakashi's trust in the boys, Sakura's presence and his own abilities were enough for Gaara to know he had nothing to worry about. He had dismissed them late into the night and started on the work that he had neglected all day.

Sakura led the team towards the main staircase and up the long climb. Normally, she would enter her place straight from the balcony, but she assumed it would be better to show her team the normal entrance way first.

"You have your own apartment in the Kazekage's building," Sakuzo said flatly in disbelief.

"I worked in Suna for two years. Five months into my stay, Gaara turned this place into an apartment for me," Sakura replied as they headed up the stairs.

"The Kazekage has good taste," Naosuke called over the shoulders of the captain and Sakuzo to Sakura. His voice was heavy with implications.

"I am not having sex with Gaara," Sakura called back simply. Kakashi could only grin at that statement. He could only imagine what Gaara would do when he discovered Naosuke flirting with Sakura. For years, Kakashi held the firm belief that Gaara had a soft spot for his former student. His last visit to Suna, months prior, left him convinced that the Kazekage's soft spot was now a full blown crush.

"But you are close to the Kazekage," Sakuzo said. He was worried, and his tone did not fit well with the image of the very powerful Shinobi Sakura knew him to be.

"He is one of my close friends. Yes." The female answered as she approached the door. Sakura held one hand to the door and emitted a complicated discharge of chakra on the lock. As she entered the apartment and allowed the others in, she made a note to teach her team how to 'unlock' her door.

"Living room," Sakura said, gesturing to the room around them. The walls were green and the couch and two chairs were colored in a light brown. The coffee table was low and a dark shade of unfinished wood. As she gave the unenthusiastic tour, she showed off the large pieces of art that Sai had painted for her living space. Detached from the living room was a balcony. To the right was an open kitchen. Sakura waved towards the hallway, "Master bedroom is straight down the hall, office and bathroom on the left and guest room to the right."

Sakura then left the men to their own devices and walked over to the balcony. As she was opening the curtains and doors, Kankuro and Temari appeared on the ledge. From the look of things, they had jumped up, just as they had many times in the past.

"We brought groceries!" Temari said cheerfully, holding up an armful of bags. Kankuro grunted and moved into the kitchen, holding two more identical brown paper bags. Temari had never been the domestic type of girl, but she had tried to be when she lived with her fiancé. The whole fiancé fiasco had ended two months after they had started living together. Temari had realized he annoyed the hell out of her and promptly kicked him out. A week later, she had a sudden realization that she was in love with a Nara. Temari also learned she still loved to cook and she was very unhappy about that turn of events.

"Thanks, I stuck everything perishable in Gaara's fridge when I left, but I'm guessing it has already been raided by Kankuro." Sakura moved around the kitchen, putting everything away and watching as her team and the siblings all sat down. Kakashi and Sakuzo had been on the couch since the Sand Siblings arrived. Kankuro and Naosuke claimed the chairs as Sakura placed milk into her fridge. Temari perched on one of the bar stools at the counter which divided the kitchen and living room. "Kankuro, Temari, these are my teammates," Sakura said, motioning to the squad. "Sakuzo, Naosuke and Kakashi, these are Gaara's siblings, and very good friends of mine."

"Nice to meet you boys," Temari said grinning, "and Kakashi it's good to see you still breathing." She remembered the sorry state Kakashi had been in when she had last seen him.

"You know the Captain?" Naosuke asked with surprise. His surprise only prevented him from hitting on the wind user. Then again, even the biggest idiots knew better than to mess with the Kazekage's sister.

"Duh, Kakashi was Sakura's sensei when she was a genin." Temari paused a moment looking at Naosuke and Sakuzo. Her eyes widened in surprise. "You didn't know?" She shot a questioning look at Sakura.

"Kakashi didn't tell them. He's the one in charge of the squad," Sakura shrugged. Kankuro was laughing at her words. He found it funny that Sakura had probably already broken Kakashi's command.

Naosuke and Sakuzo were now looking at Kakashi. Sakura took a seat next to Temari.

"Captain?" Sakuzo prompted.

"Well," Kakashi said with a eye crease, "it must have slipped my mind." He finished lamely.

Kankuro was still laughing. "On that note," he said, "we still have to go down and talk to Gaara. We just wanted to stop by and say Hi."

"Hi." Sakura chirped back as Kankuro dropped a kiss onto her cheek and left through the door. The action was clearly platonic and Kakashi filed the information away into his memory. If the puppet master, the Sand Village's biggest flirt, wasn't hitting on Sakura, then it could only mean that Kankuro was also aware of Gaara's crush on Sakura. Temari smiled at everyone and shot Sakura a guilty look before leaving.

"I'll act like the good host for tonight," Sakura offered as she headed back around the counter. She would make them all food. "Why don't you boys get situated."

"Shouldn't we secure the perimeter?"

"Not allowed. Gaara's place is next door and the Elders would freak if you guys went skulking around. Besides, this floor is one of the most secure places in the village." Sakura answered honestly. Sakuzo seemed pleased with that response, and didn't ask anymore.

"There are two single beds in the guest room," Kakashi said. "You two can sleep in there. I'll take the couch." Everyone agreed with Kakashi's commands. This caused Sakura to smirk quietly. Kakashi knew from experience that the couch was a lot more comfortable than the standard issued beds in the guest room.

The night fell soon after their arrival, and the boys had all retired. Sakura sat out on the ledge of the balcony, listening to the sound of Kakashi's breathing. If she hadn't known the man for as long, nor as well as she did, she would easily have believed that he was sleeping. However, she did know the man, and knew he was only pretending to be asleep on the couch.

As Sakura did every night, she looked up at the stars. The little dots of light which littered the sky could be seen well enough in Konoha, but Sakura couldn't help but appreciate them more in the Suna sky.

"Pretty." Kakashi remarked quietly as he took a seat next to her.

"They are," Sakura agreed. "You know, the first I looked up, and learned to really appreciate the stars was just before Naruto left. We were on a mission in Rock Country to escort a contractor's daughter. Naruto told me I was a fool for still liking Sasuke. Of course, Naruto wasn't really calling me a fool. He would never do that. Instead he was telling me I was too good for Sasuke. Later that night when I looked up into the sky, and saw the stars, I made the promise that I would prove I was worth whatever Naruto saw in me."

"For once I agree with Naruto. You _are_ too good for Sauske," Kakashi said simply.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at his words. She was over the Uchiha, but it didn't mean she didn't still see him as something great.

"We haven't had time to talk alone since I was placed on Squad 17," Sakura stated. Kakashi smiled and pulled out his book, awaiting a long chat. Sakura smiled too.

"How did you like your time here? I've heard of all the praises people told Tsunade-sama." Deep down, Sakura didn't like his use of past-tense, but still smiled at the feedback.

"I love it here, actually. I don't want to leave." She looked away from Kakashi and towards the village below them. If the Kazekage had not ordered them to rest for the night with the promise that Sand ANBU would be shadowing each medic, then there was no way Sakura wouldn't be out there looking after her duckies.

"I feel sort of bad for some of my reasons," she continued. "I mean some are acceptable, I love the people and I love what I was doing. But the biggest reason is that I'm just Sakura here."

Kakashi knew what she meant. He too, had a famous sensei, and it had taken him a long time to get out from under the fourth's shadow.

"The people here like me and respect me for what I have done for them," Sakura said. "They don't look at me and see the Hokage's apprentice. That's probably the only reason that I haven't punch Naosuke yet."

"They don't know you're Tsunade's apprentice," Kakashi told her. "ANBU aren't really in their villages much; you were gone for two years and back when the hype about you being her apprentice happened, I think both of them were somewhere in Snow."

"Figures; I knew it was a possibility, but I had assumed they knew when they saw me interact with her casually and hadn't made a big fuss about it." She turned and looked hopefully at Kakashi. "Is it too much to hope that Naosuke will still be an ass to me when he finds out?"

Kakashi chuckled into the volume of his orange book.

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A/N: First off I want to say thank you to my great readers for reading and my kickass reviewers for reading AND reviewing.

Second: I would like to thank both Broken Handed and ClearHeart for using their valuable time editing this story so all of you people can appreciate it more. Aren't they wonderful!

Third: I would like to recommend Redefine Typical by annieberry. The story is a one shot that I read about halfway through writing this and chapter. I think that everyone should go take a look. The story is a Sakura/Sauske pairing and as much as I am not a fan of that pairing I am in love with her story. Says a lot about the story, doesn't it?


	7. Medics and clothing

Squad 17

Summary: In which Sakura meets her ANBU team, a captain whom she can easily fall into routine with, an asshole and a reserved man that she gets along with quite nicely.

Chapter Seven: Medics and clothing

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The rising sun served as the alarm clock for Suna's people. The first light breaking over the horizon was the signal for village life to begin. The stalls in the streets opened for the day and the people who were not working rose to meet with their brethren. The day started earlier in Suna, and among the four Konoha Shinobi, two were up with the natives.

Having been adopted by the village, Sakura was awake with coffee in hand to watch the sunrise. The brew's scent woke Sakuzo up and brought him out into the common area of the apartment. Kakashi drifted in the realms of slumber on the couch, but would be up in a split second if danger arose. Naosuke's soft snores could be heard by the others, reminding Sakura of the too thin wall.

"Coffee's in the pot and Suna Jonin clothing are on the counter." Sakura spoke lightly as she started to stock up the pockets of her vest.

As a registered Suna medic, Sakura already owned multiple Suna hospital uniforms. Her closet was littered with the standard suits and the preferred ware of the employees - scrubs. Yet the old wardrobe she had grown accustomed to was no longer an option. By order of the Kazekage, a medic-nin uniform had arrived along with the basic male jonin outfit.

Not once during her time working under the Suna sun did she crave the medic-nin uniform she was currently wearing. The tough fabric was impractical when she had been teaching and working at the hospital. The material also made it harder to wash out blood. However, in battle, it provided an extra layer of protection and worth the compromise. Secretly, she still missed the civilian garb.

One of the two differences between the jonin uniforms and the medic ones were the vests. The placements of the pockets were different and the symbol of medic was displayed on the back of the camel colored vest. The other difference was the foot wear. For the jonin, they had issued sandals. On the other hand, medics received knee high boots that nearly blended into the pants. The boots were created with the idea of medics kneeling next to their patients in mind.

To Sakura, the uniform transition between civilian teacher and active Shinobi was more of a confirmation that her duckies were in danger.

Growing impatient, she threw a Senbon at her captain. As assumed, Kakashi caught the weapon and rose for the day. Sakuzo had left his half-finished coffee behind to deliver Naosuke his uniform in the guestroom.

"Assassination attempts on your captain? That could get you booted right out of ANBU, Sakura-chan," Kakashi commented cheerfully. Like Sakura, he had only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before, but like any true ninja, he took no time to jump into the day. The ANBU garb he had slept in the night before suffered no wrinkles; Sakura allowed herself a few moments of confusion.

"I want to get over to the hospital as soon as we can. I spoke with Gaara a little while ago and he agrees that it would be best to split into two teams. One serving as protection over the medic core's training academy and the other team stationed at the hospital."

"And you had already decided to lead the team going to the hospital." Kakashi concluded aloud. It wasn't an issue of overriding command, as was previously the topic of humor the night before. The decision was a matter of common sense. Sakura would be the most useful in the hospital environment because she would be able make herself useful until the need for her others skills arose. When she would be limited to tasks that wouldn't drain her chakra, like dictation of procedures and administrative tasks, she would still be doing something productive. Furthermore, she knew the employees and the lay of the land.

Kakashi was also the logical choice for sending to the academy, fondly known as the MCTA. With the smaller perimeter and large rooms, he would be able to protect the students and keep a solid base as his dogs scouted the area. Also, without having to contribute too much of his attention on stopping infiltration attempts, he would be able to question the occupants for information and keep an eye out for suspicious behavior.

Sakura nodded, "Fumio took over their training when I left. He's a good guy and a qualified instructor, but he might give you a bit of a hard time. Unfortunately, taking over the lead spot of the MCTA went straight to his head. But Gaara already spoke with him already, so hopefully he'll be cooperative. I'll tell the hospital staff to allow Pakkun access into the building so he can come get me if that proves to be a problem. Or, if there are any other problems."

Sakura spoke loudly so that Kakashi would be able to hear her where he was changing in the bathroom. Likewise, this meant that the boys also heard what was being mapped out for their mission.

"Sakuzo, we're leaving when you're ready!" Her partner came out only seconds after her call and followed her as she jumped off the balcony and onto the roof tops.

"You were stationed here to train the medics?" He asked her in a strong baritone voice. Sakura was a mystery to his new partner and much of what he knew about her didn't make sense. This newly revealed tidbit of information did help to clarify some of the other pieces he knew.

"Correct."

The two set down on the hospital roof before she turned to him again. "The building has nine levels. Basement: Archives. Floor one: Emergency care. Floor two: Administration. Floor three: Pediatrics. Floor four: Civilian. Floor five: Poison treatment Floor six: Intensive care. Floor seven: Surgery. Floor eight: Recovery." The departments were listed off in a quick succession, but Sakura didn't offend Sakuzo's abilities by assuming he would not have the list perfectly memorized. "I won't insult your professionalism in thinking that you will break orders. I do however want to address the matter of my command of this team. You have seniority on the squad, but I know the area and people which qualifies me for the position." The bland address of the matter was an unnecessary olive branch.

Unlike Naosuke, Sakuzo was a skilled Shinobi who was comfortable with his station. He was powerful in his own right and highly intelligent. However, his lack of social skills and average analytical skills made positions of command unfavorable to him. What he did appreciate of his new comrade was the respect she had for his person. He gave her a shallow nod which reminded her a bit of Ibiki's.

"I'm going to send you down to Yuu on level two. He's in charge of the entire hospital staff. He'll walk you through the floors and introduce to you the team. Find me when you feel you know the layout and staff sufficiently enough to offer your highest level of security. I'll either be in the ER or securing the perimeter. I shouldn't be hard to find."

The pair entered through the roof entrance before nodding to each other and going their separate ways. Sakuzo entered the elevator to the right and Sakura went through the doorway to enter into the recovery ward.

"Amaya!" She called out in a strong voice. Amaya, the recovery nurse located further down the hallway, was a graduate of Sakura's. Having received most of her training before Sakura's arrival, Amaya had only needed her skills brushed up before entering the field. Sakura, the junior of the pair, would have loved to train Amaya to the level of medicnin, and had tried in vain to convince Amaya to further her training. Their friendship had stayed strong as the newly graduated nurse took a very active role in the wards dynamics. Within a year, Amaya had reached the position of lead nurse in the department.

"Sakura-sensei, I had a feeling I would be seeing you this morning." She replied with a nurse's smile, walking to meet her superior. The woman had distinct purple hair which drifted before her eyes as she handed Sakura a clipboard. Five more stayed in her arms.

"Kin moved to room 832. She has made considerable progress since your departure, but there is a minor infection that seems to be very resilient to our medic's chakra. Akane took over the case when you left and seems to think that you will have an easy time taking care of it because your chakra is in her system from the initial treatment."

Sakura nodded reading over the file. "I spoke with Niichi before I left. We believed this was a possibility. The poison from Rock was very innovative. Will you fetch Akane and tell her that she will be treating the patient with me overseeing the procedure? I'll meet her in 832 in twenty minutes."

"Of course, Sakura-sensei." Amaya took the chipboard back and Sakura knew that it would be waiting for her on the door later.

The path to Niichi's office was a direct one. Being the head of the department, it carefully placed for easy accessibility. The door had been left open and she entered with a familiar ease.

Niichi is a friendly man whose persona was honed by years of practiced bedside manner. Both Gaara and Sakura shared the opinion that the man could be more valuable in the emergency department as one of the best medics in the village. However, the thirty seven year old had seen his share of gore and death during his time as a Medic-nin. To honor of the service he had provided his village in his youth, he was allowed to stay in the recovery department on his request. Only in dire situations or a surplus of patients in the ER, would Niichi be called upon for his abilities.

"Hey there boss." Niichi greeted, standing as she approached his desk.

The first week of Sakura's employment in the hospital was not fondly remembered. She had managed to gain the staff's respect and fear within hours, but they were not receptive to her takeover. Niichi was one of the first to stand behind her and the nickname boss had been fondly created.

"Hey, I'm going to lead that procedure with Akane in a few. Then I'm out of here; I just wanted to check on the Kin case." She explained as she sat casually on his beige couch. With one hand she played with the leaves of the potted plant to her right.

"I figured; it's an unique case. Amaya has been carrying around the chart her entire shift." He replied, following her lead and sitting as well. Amaya normally took the nightshift, leaving around seven each morning. Amazingly, she had never been spotted tired. "So-" he dragged.

"So-" She prompted.

"Am I allowed to ask about your ANBU appointment?" Niichi's deduction skills were still sharp as always. It shouldn't have surprised Sakura that he had but the pieces together. She grinned but didn't answer.

"I'm going to go find Akane." Sakura was still grinning as she left the office and took a left to find room 832.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed.

A million thanks to Broken Handed for being an awesome beta.

Please review!


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